Tag: Israel
The Lost Summer
Managing Editor’s note: all Contributing Scholars begin writing by answering the following question as their first post: Why are you committed to building relationships with those from different... Read More
The Waste Land
What is that noise? The wind under the door. What is that noise now? What is the wind doing? nothing again nothing. I’ve been having the oddest response to the latest Israel/Palestine crisis: al... Read More
We Have No Water
Israelis control Palestinian water resources, directing two-thirds of it to Israeli settlers who use three times the amount of water Palestinian homes do. Palestinians must buy their own water back fr... Read More
The Roman Jewish Vigil for Israel
In the Piazza della Rotunda of the Pantheon, at the heart of Rome, there was a rally in support of Israel held by the historic Roman Jewish community. Traces of trauma from World War II are here, sca... Read More
My Jerusalem: A Personal Reflection
Under the glare of the midday desert sun, I gaze at the life teeming below me. From my perch on the ramparts, I can see the sun sparkling off the brilliant gold of the Dome of the Rock. Jewish men and... Read More
Mourning Our Way to the World to Come
One of the things I love most about Judaism is how we mourn. We do keriya, a physical tearing of our clothes to materially represent our pain. We recite kaddish yatom, a prayer that requires a group o... Read More
Leaving Home: A Reflection on Israel
It wasn’t hard to leave home when I left for college at 18. There were very few things to keep me there and very many things to draw me away from it. In fact, until two weeks ago, I never unders... Read More
Parashat Bamidbar: Army, nation and the pursuit of peace.
Army. This is the first word in my reading of Parashat Bamidbar, and it’s the most remarkable word. It is of course not a new word in the Torah, but it is a new concept. The Israelites are turni... Read More